Ignition apparatus for internal-combustion engines.



L. M. WOLFFSOHN.

IGNITION APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. ms.

1,261,884. Patented Apr. 9,1918.

IIVVENTOR I By UNITE STATES PATENT ornron.

LIONEL M. WOLFFSOEN, OF HOBOKEN, NEVI JERSEY, ASSIGNOR- TO BIJUR MOTOR LIGHTING COMPANY, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JEE$EY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

IGNITION APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed March 18, 1916.

To all "whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lronnn M. VOLFF- SOHN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Ignition Apparatus for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines. One of the objects thereof is to provide a practical and efficient ignition system, in which an efiective and reliable ignition spark is attained at all engine speeds. Another object is to provide apparatus of the above type of simple and inexpensive construction and which shall require few parts. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which are shown one Or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of this invention,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan of an ignition system;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified ignition system; and

Fig. 3 is a similar view of an ignition system changed in another particular with respect to that shown in Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is diagrammatically indicated at 1 an internal combustion engine which drives, as indicated by the circle 2 a generator 3. This generator is assumed to be of the fourpole type and on its commutator 1 are the main brushes 5 and 6 placed at neutral points and serving as the main generator terminals. The field 7 is connected between the brush 6 and an auxiliary brush 8, angularly offset from the neutral points of the commutator to such an extent as to provide a field which will automatically weaken, due to distortion of the generator flux by armature re-action to such an extent as to com Specification of Letters Patent.

'the engine cylinders.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

Serial No. 85,211.

pensate for the increased speed and thus maintain the voltage across the main brushes substantially constant throughout the major portion of the effective speed range of the generator.

The main brush 6 is indicated as grounded at 9 and the parts similarly indicated in the drawings are also intended to be grounded although it is to be understood that an actual grounding of the circuits does not occur, but simply when they are connected to a suitable common conductor which may in some cases be the engine frame or the frame of an automobile.

Leading from the brush 5 is a. conductor 10 which passes through the series coil 11 of an ordinary automatic switch, and with such switch in closed condition, through the spring-retracted contact 12 and a joint 13. From this point-,the circuit branches through a conductor 14; and storage battery 15 to ground, and in the other direction, through a conductor 16 to devices hereinafter described. The automatic switch is initially closed by means of a voltage coil 17 bridged across the main brushes 5 and 6 and rendered effective when the voltage of the generator rises to such point as to enable it to charge the battery.

The conductor 16 leads through a circuit breaker or interrupter 18 driven as indicated by the circle 19 from the engine 1 at suitable speed. This circuit interrupter may be of any approved type and serves to interrupt the circuit through the conductor 16 at intervals suitable for proper firing of A condenser 20 is bridged about the circuit interrupter 18 to reduce the sparking of the contacts thereof and gain other advantages.

From the circuit breaker 18, a conductor 21 leads through a primary coil 22 to ground, and is thus constantly exposed to an impulse of current from the battery whenever the device 18 closes the circuit through conductor 16. The coil 22 is inductively connected in an induction coil 23, the secondary 24 of which i suitably grounded and leads through the usual form of distributer 25, from the contacts of which circuits are led through the spark plugs 26 in the cylinders of the engine 1.

Also inductively related to the circuit comprising the secondary coil 24: and preferably wound in the induction coil 23 is a primary coil 27 connected betweenconduc tOr 21 and an auxiliary brush 28. Thi last auxiliary brush is also ofiset from the neutral points of the commutator and is so positioned that the distortion of magnetic flux causes an increasin potential difference between it and the brush 5 as the generator speed increases. This increase may be at such a rate that notwithstanding the increased effect of the self induction of coil 27 with rising speed, the current value of the impulses in this coil increases.

The various windings are so proportioned and the brush 28 so positioned that the sum of the current values of the impulses in the coils 22 and 27 notwithstanding the efiiect of Self induction and of mutual induction one upon the other, actually may increase to a slight extent throughout th major portion of the effective range of generator speed and by the'induction of such alternations or cycles of current in the latter which follow substantially the Sum of the pulsations in the two primary coils.

In the action of this apparatus with the engine being started and the generator at extremely low speed, there is nevertheless full battery voltage across the coil 22, and etficient ignition i gained. As the generator speed builds up, the ettect of coil 22 decreases but its diminution in eliect is compensated for by the increasing effect of the coil 27. On the other hand, coil 27 while highly effective throughout a considerable range of the generator speed, is of slight eti'ectonly, at low generator speed, as in starting the engine, and yet here the battery coil remedies such deficiency. By the conjoint action of the tw coils, there is achieved an induced current having precisely the de siredcharacteristics irrespective of engine speed. and which, in the present case, may slightly increase in current value throughout the major portion of the range of speed of the engine and thus slightly increases the hotness of the spark as the'speed rises.

In the form shown in Fig. 2, the apparatus is substantially the same except that the generator is regulated for ubstantially constant voltage by an external regulator. The field 29 has serially connected therewith a resistance 30, a shunt about which comprise the co-acting contacts 31 urged together by a spring or suitable device and controlled as to their vibration by a volt age coil 32 which tends to draw them apart.

The form shown in Fig. 3, is substantially like the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, except that the main switch 33 Controls the main circuit leading away from the brush 6, and thus interrupts the connection between the auxiliary brush, primary coil and the battery whenever it is open. In thi case, of

course, the voltage applied to. the auxiliary as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention: 1. In ignitlon apparatus for internal combustion engines, in comblnation, an inductlon coil comprising three windings, one of which is a secondary, and two sources of current respectively connected with the two remaining windings of said induction coil.

2. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an induction coil comprising three windings, one of which is a secondary, two sources of current respectively connected with the two remaining windings of said induction coil, and a single means adapted periodically to interrupt the circuit of each of said last two windings.

3. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an induction coil comprising three windings, one of which is a secondary, two sources of current respectively connected with the two remaining windings of said induction coil, and means adapted periodically to interrupt the circuitof each of said last two windings.

I. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an induction coil comprising three windings, one of which is a secondary, two'sources of current respectively connected with the two remaining windings of aid induction coil, and means adapted to increase the current within one of said last two windings as the engine speed increases.

5. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combinat on, an induction coil comprising three windings, one of which is a secondary, two sources of current respectively connected with the two recircuit, a source of current connected with said second primary. c011,,means adaptedsuo stantially simultaneously to interrupt periodically the current flowing in each of said primary coils, and means adapted to vary the pulsating current in. one of said primary coils as the engine speed varies.

7. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an induction coil comprising a secondary winding and a primary winding, a source of current connected with said primary Winding, interrupting means for said primary winding, and electrical means adapted to reinforce the efiect of the current in said primary winding as the speed of the engine increases.

8. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an induction coil comprising a secondary winding and a primary winding, a source of current connected with said primary winding, interrupting means for said primary winding, and means adapted to increase the current within said primary coil at an increasing rate as the speed of the engine increases throughout its higher range of speed.

9. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an induction coil comprising a secondary winding and a primary winding, a source of current connected with said primary winding, interrupting means for said primary winding, and means aside from said primary winding adapted to cause flux variations in said induction coil substantially in synchronism with those caused by said primary coil.

10. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an induction coil comprising a secondary winding and a primary winding, a source of current connected with said primary winding and adapted to impress thereon a substantially constant voltage, and electrical means adapted to compensate for the tendency of self induction to cut down the current within said winding at higher engine speeds.

11. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an induction coil comprising a secondary winding and a primary winding. an engine driven generator connected with said primary winding, means adapted periodically to interrupt the circuit of said primary winding, and means adapted to reinforce the effect of the current in said primary winding at low engine speeds.

12. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an induction coil comprising a secondary winding and a primary winding, means comprising an engine driven generator connected with said primary winding and adapted to force therethrough a current which increases with the engine speed at the higher engine speeds, and means adapted to reinforce the effect of the current in said primary winding at low engine speeds.

13. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an ignition circuit, a primary coil inductively related to said circuit, a source of current connected with said prin'iary coil, a second primary coil inductively related to said circuit, a second source of current connected with said second primary coil, and means adapted to vary the currents in said primary coils substantially in unison.

14. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, a circuit for induced current, a winding inductively related to said circuit, an engine-driven generator connected to said winding, a second winding inductively related to said circuit, a storage battery connected to said second winding, and means adapted to charge said battery from said generator.

15. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, a circuit for induced current, a winding inductively related to said circuit, an enginedriven generator connected to said winding. :1- second winding inductively related to said circuit, a storage batterv connected to said second winding, and means adapted to charge said battery from said generator, and means adapted periodically to interrupt the currents in said windings substantially in synchronism.

16. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, a circuit for induced current, a Winding inductively related to said circuit, an enginedriven generator connected to said winding. a second winding inductively related to said circuit, a storage battery connected to said second winding, and means adapted to charge said battery from said generator, said first winding being connected with said engine driven generator to a brush offset from the neutral points of the commutator thereof.

17. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, a circuit for induced current, a winding inductively related to said circuit, an engine-driven generator connected to said winding, a second winding inductively related to said circuit, a storage battery connected to said second winding, means adapted to charge said battery from said generator, and an automatic switch adapted substantially simultaneously to break the connection between said first winding and said generator and between said generator and said battery.

18. In ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an engine driven generator, means adapted to regulate the voltage of the output of said generator, an induction coil comprising one secondary and two primary windings, a connection from one of said primary windings through said generator to a brush oliset from the neutral points of the commutator thereof, a storage battery, connections comprising an automatic switch through which said battery is charged from said generator,

'- connections from said battery to the other of said primary windings, and an engine driven device adapted periodically to lnteri-upt the circuit of both of said primary windings.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 13 name to this specification this second day of March, 1916.

LIONEL M. WOLFFSOHN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

